The present invention relates to docks for boats, particularly small boats within the range of 15 to 25 feet which can be transported by boat trailer attached to a conventional vehicle, such as a car or small truck. Such boats are often used by the day-tripper or weekend vacationer who drives directly to the waterfront, backs the boat via the trailer into the water, disengages the boat from the trailer and then attempts to embark. In such circumstances, however access to the boat is difficult because the boat is elevated in the trailer and there is no readily available platform from which to reach the boat dock. Normally the person or persons wishing to use the boat would have to negotiate the trailer itself, balancing themselves on what articulated structure there is to conventional trailers and attempting to jump or climb therefrom onto the boat--a precarious business at best. Another alternative, of course, is for the person to wade into the water and from there climb onto the boat. Needless to say, these methods of embarkation leave much to be desired and thereby create the need for a sensible and reliable form or embarkation under the circumstances and one which is perferably portable, i.e., can be carried conveniently with the trailer during transport of the boat.